Inkwell



Max-d124, 1931 F. D. CONDERMAN 1,798,014

INKWELL Filed March 31, 1928" /7 5 mum A Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IBED D. CONDEREAN, OF TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA mxwmr. 7 Application filed March 31, 1928. Serial in. 266,253.

This invention relates to improvements in ink wells.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved ink well, b means of which one is enabled to refill a ountain 11 without soiling the barrel portion of the ountain pen, or the fingers, and at the same time be assured that the fountain pen well will be completely filled.

A further object of this invention is the provision ofa constant level ink well, more particularl adapted to be used in connection with the re ling of fountain pens, embod ing improved means for constantly replenis ing the ink in the well portion.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved ink well having means to limit themserted movement of a fountain pen or the like into the well, so as to revent soiling of the fountain pen and the fin ers of the operator.

ther objects and advantages of this invention will be a parent during the course of the following detailed description. In the accompanying drawing, forming a art of this specification, and wherein similiar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the improved ink well, showing an operator in the act of refilling a fountain pen therefrom.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the improved ink well, with the supply receptacle or bottle removed therefrom.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the cover of the improved ink well.

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing how the im roved ink well may be readily made adaptable for receiving fountain pens of.various sizes, without sacrificing any of the features of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved ink well, which may consist of a well or casing portion B, adapted to support an ink bottle or container G of conventional formation. Means D is provided in connection with the casing B for limiting the insertion of a fountain n E.

The improved ink well B refera ly consists of a substantially oval-sliaped body 10, which is provided with an upstanding ovalshaped marginal flange 11 thereabout, extending above the top surface 15, to provide a cover receiving socket 16 therein, wherein the flat cover 17 is adapted to be placed, so thatthe top edge of the latter is flush with the top edge of the flange 11. In the body, recessed inwardly from the surface 15, is an elongated ink receiving compartment 19, elongated along the major axis of the oval-shaped body 10, which at one end thereof is provided with a dropped pen receiving recess 20. The body 10 may be made of metal or any other material such as glass, hard rubber, or the like, which will not corrode or rust, or deteriorate incident to chemicals contained in. the ink which the well is ada ted to receive. The body is recessed upwardly at 21, from the bottom thereof, according to the contour of the well, in order to lessen the weight of the body.

The cover 17 is made of the same material as the casing body 10, and it is of oval-shaped formation, adapted to seat in the recess or socket 16 provided therefor. At the ends thereof it is provided with openin s 25 therethrough, for receiving countersun head machine screws 26, which screw thread into threaded openings in the body B, for clamping the cover 17 upon an oval-shaped gasket 30, to seal the connection between the cover and the body, preventin leak of ink from the well compartment 19. 0 this end the gasket 30 is provided with an opening therein as the same plan-shape of the compartment 19. The cover 17 is provided with a pen inserting openin 31 t erethrough, of circular formation, w ich is adapted to receive the washer D. The washer D is preferably of rubber or some flexible material, and it is provided with an opening 33 therethrough which may be graded according to'the size of the pen point of the fountain pen E which is being inserted. Thus, as shown in Figure 1 the opening 33 is relatively small for receiving a small 0 on point of the fountain pen E, whereas in Figure 5 the washer D is rovided with a larger opening 33 for receiving the pen point of the fountain pen E, which is considerably larger than the fountain pen point shown in Figure 1. The purpose of providing the washer D is to enable the shoulder of the fountain pen at the base of the pen point to come in contact therewith, to limit the insertion of the pen into the ink well opening 31, and thus prevent the soiling of the finger or hand rasping portion of the fountain pen, as is rea ily apparent from Figures 1 and 5 of the drawing. It is to be noted that the depth of the o ening 31 is greater than the thickness of t e washer D, leaving a sort of compartment above the latter, which may receive surplus ink in the event there is an accidental overflow and prevent the ink from passing onto the top of the cover and possibly overflowing. If found desirable there may be an auxiliary or reserve chamber communicating with the socket 31 below the washer D, into which an overflow of ink may pass. This, however, is not necessary. The opening 31 is provided immediately above the recessed portion20 of the ink well, as is apparent from Fi re 1.

he cover 17 is furthermore provided with a tapered opening therethrough, tapering convergently upwardly, and adapted to receive a tapered compressible cork 41, of stock size, in such relation that a lower edge portion of the cork 41 may rest on the top surface of the gasket 30, beyond an end of the well compartment 19 to limit the inserted movement of the cork, and insure that the same will project, at all times, for a definite distance above the-cover 17. The cork 41 is of the tapered type, and its smaller end projects above the top surface of the cover 17, for receivin the neck portion 45 of the conventional 111k bottle C. The cork 41 is provided with a passa eway 48 therethrough, which opens at the ower end of the cork into the end of the well compartment 19 remote from the deeper recess portion 20. The cork 41 has the upper end, or inlet of the passageway 48 flared outwardly, as at 50, to break the ca illarity of the ink in the assageway of t e cork when ourin the 01 ink from the well back into the old ottle when it is desired to place a new bottle of ink upon the cork. A small opening in the cork prevents proper draining of ink from the well reparatory to placing of a new bottle of i on the cork. For this reason the passageway is flared at 50. It is to be noted t at the flaring wall 50 is sloped contiguous with the sloping inside surfaces of the bottle C at the base of the neck thereof, as shown in Figure 1.

As a novel feature of this invention, a crescent shaped recess is provided upwardly from the lower surface 56 of the cover 17, surrounding the pen inserting opening 31, be-

tween the openings 40 and 31, as plainly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. This recess 55 at its ends extends above flanges 60, which enclose said ends of the recess, at diametrically opposed sides of the opening 31 as more clearly apparent from Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, and in these ends of the recess 55, above the flanges 60 which form baffles, it is preferred to provide minute vent ducts 62 to the top of the cover.

In assemblage, the cover 17 is clamped upon the body 10 as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. lVith the cork 41 in place, the lower surface thereof is flush with the plane of the lower horizontal surface of the cover 17, and it is to be noted that the lower surface of the washer D is also flush with the lower surface of the cover 17; it being held in such relation by resting upon the shoulder of the body B facing the opening 31, as shown in Figure 3. \Vith the gasket 30 and the cork 41 in leak-proof connections with the well casing, the conventional ink bottle, with its cork removed, is graspedin the left hand, and the operator taking the ink well in the right hand with the cork 41 to the left, tips the same and pushes the cork 41 firmly into the neck of thebottle, to the position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing. When righting the ink Well, the ink will flow from the bottle G into the well compartment 19 and rise to the level of the lower surface of the cover 17. The passage of air to the ink bottle is then cut off, and the partial vacuum in the top of the ink bottle C holds the column of ink therein suspended. It will be noted that the level of ink in the well is then flush or just slightly above the lower surface of the cover 17, leaving the recess 55 as an air chamber, and the ink rises into the opening 33 a short distance, or is flush with the lower surface of the washer D. The operator may then insert the fountain pen E, which movement is limited by the washer D, as shown in Figure .1, and the fountain pen may be filled in the usual manner. One very important function of the air space 55 is served when the sac lever of the fountain pen E is depressed, to force air from the fountain pen in order that a suction may draw ink from the well into the fountain pen. The discharge of the air from the'fountain pen into the body of ink in the compartment 19 has a tendency to displace some of the ink, which rises into the chamber 55, and the air discharged from the fountain pen vents thru the vent ducts 62. If the fountain pen during this operation contains ink which is discharged into the well compartment 19, it will rise into the air space or recess 55, without causing an overflow of the ink from the well opening, such as would be liable to soil the pen. The recess 55 serves a further purpose during the replacement of an ink bottle on the well. For this operation, the ink well is tipped to the left rom the an air chamber formed position shown in Figure 1, and it is apparent that the excess of ink in the well compartment will then flow into the chamber without flowing through the opening 33. Durin the bottle replacing operation the old in from the well is caused to flow into the old bottle, or so much of the ink as is necessary to prevent overflow, prior to the placement of the new bottle of ink on the cork 41, which may be accomplished as above described.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim: I

1. In an ink well the combination of a casing including a body having an elongated ink well compartment therein, a cover, means for detachably clamping the cover in a leakproof connection over the well compartment, said cover having an opening therethrough at an end of the compartment, said opening having means directly therein for limiting the inserted movement of a fountain pen for receiving ink from the compartment, the cover having a second opening therein at the opposite end of the compartment, a detachable cork in said last mentioned opening extending above the top of the cover, a detachable inverted ink bottle on said cork, the cork having a passageway therethrough to the ink well compartment, the passageway of the cork inletting into the compartment in the same horizontal plane as the first mentioned opening inlets to said compartment, the cover between said openings having a recessed chamber upwardly therein facing the compartment, said recessed chamber curving about the opposite sides of the first mentioned opening and there having vent ducts to the cover, said cover below the vent ducts having spaced bafiles closing the extreme ends of the chamber from facing communication with said ink well compartment.

2. In an ink well the combination of a casing having an ink receiving compartment therein and a pair of spaced openings therein leading to the compartment, means associated with one of the openings for supporting an inverted ink bottle for supplying ink to the compartment, means in the other opening for limiting the inserted movement of a fountain pen into the ink well compartment, in said casing between the openings above the normal level of ink in the compartment, said casing having a vent duct therein leading to the chamber above the normal level of liquid, said chamber having a bafile immediately below the vent duct.

FRED D. CONDERMAN. 

